We are required to show our strong identity with full respect to any opponent.. Crespo: We will play the match as if the first leg ended in a draw
We will not live in the past and our focus is on our upcoming challenges
During the pre-match press conference for his team’s encounter against Al Nasr scheduled for the quarter-finals of the Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank Cup, Al Ain Argentine head coach, HernanCrespo, stated that: “We are required to show respect for the competition, as well as to respect the ambitions of the opponentteam. We should also consider the condition of the players who will participate in the upcoming match on Tuesday as we will engage the most prepared players, those with high fitness levels, in addition to those who need more games to participate in. Wemust realize that we face many challenges in the upcoming phase in various competitions. It is necessary to close the file of the quarter-final match properly before playing our next League match comfortably.”
Commenting on a question about his team’s chances of qualifying in the light of the advantage of winning against the opponent in their stadium during the first leg, he said: “Yes, we have an advantage after the team secured a good result in the first leg. However, we must deal with the return match with the necessary seriousness, as the referee does not blow the final whistle until the end of the game. Therefore, we must play the match as if the first leg ended in a draw, as we will be playing on our home pitch and among our fans. We need to show proper respect for this by representing our strong identity as a significant support for us and dealing with focus and seriousness throughout the match to qualify for the semi-finals.”
Responding a question about the message he conveyed to his players yesterday in the locker room, he said: “The result was not good because we missed the opportunity to return with three points and reduce the gap in the standings, as I mentioned in the post-match press conference. Meanwhile, things will improve in our upcoming matches, and what happened yesterday is common in football. We are required not to miss any opportunity to win the three points in the upcoming matches, and we must not live on the past, always thinking about the future.”
